There have been a lot of ups and downs in this book writing journey. It’s taken a year to write my book and at times it has been grueling. I have written and re-written chapters five times. My dad just sent them this quote which is so true,
“When you climb a high mountain, you really do it 3 times to acclimate. You write a book three times too. Once for you, twice for the editor.”
Yes, it’s been a journey and at times I have wanted to say whatever and just give up. But, today I am glad I pushed through because I am proud of my writing in this book. Today I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Today I see the final stage of my book that really will make it to your fingertips to read. Today I see my hard work pay off because this book really will help you.
A few weeks ago I dreamed big and asked an amazing woman that I have admired for a long time to write my foreword. It was one of those “Why the heck not!” moments. But I did it. I asked. I tell my clients always to reach out to people they admire because you never know what might happen. So I knew I had to do it myself. But, I was scared.
And then she said yes and wrote the most amazing introduction to my book. I have read it over and over again and will probably read it again some more tonight because it is just perfect.
So are you wondering who it is or what!!??
The one and only Ms. Emily Bennington from EmilyBennington.com, author of Who Say’s It’s a Man’s World: The Girl’s Guide to Corporate Domination and Founder of Awake Exec™ Conscious Career Design will grace the first pages of my book, The Professional Woman’s Guide to Male Management, coming out this fall.
I first met Emily when I reached out to her to interview her in the Get Ahead Club. You see, the Get Ahead Club is my secret weapon. I say it is to benefit you with the amazing interviews I do every other week. But really, it forces me to meet experts and authors and get over my fear of reaching out. Because this year my goal was to become a best selling author, I interviewed 15 other authors and tried to get to know as many authors as possible. The best way to become who you want to be is to surround yourself with the people that are already doing what you want to do. And what a testimony that you should always be reaching out and networking. When I interviewed Emily in April, the foreword to my book was the very last thing on my mind. I was struggling to just write the third chapter of my book at that time. To be honest, I totally forgot I even needed to find someone to write a foreword until the publisher reminded me last month!:)
Here are some snippets of what she wrote in the foreword:
So let’s get honest.
If you want to lead big, you have to know how to lead men – and that ain’t easy.
Good thing you found this book.
Because in these pages you will learn how to earn respect by focusing on what matters, leveraging your strengths, and being professional without being a robot in heels.
You also have the benefit of a guide as sharp as Anna.
Indeed, as we watch the number of women leaders slowly but steadily rise and stand on remarkable platforms of accomplishment in business, we owe a collective hat tip to women like her and books like this.
I hope you soak in every page.
I told you it was awesome. But wait…there is more…..
Not only is Emily an amazing writer and coach, but she is also a believer in paying it forward. When I spoke with Emily and she agreed to consider writing my foreword last month, she told me a story and made me promise her something. You see, around 2007, she met Harry Beckwith when he was keynoting a conference. He was the blockbuster author of Selling the Invisible (among others) and she was not yet an author and didn’t know how she was even going to get a publisher. She told him she had started a book for new grads and asked if he would be willing to take a look and provide a testimonial. He graciously said yes. His yes was the reason she was able to get an agent, a publisher and eventually publish her first book. That book was published as Effective Immediately.
So I made her a promise. Sometime in the future, I will do a similar favor for someone just starting out. And I very much look forward to it.
So with that, I can finally give out a free chapter of my book to my newsletter subscribers so you can see what it is all about! Make sure you sign up on the top right side of my page because I am sending out the free chapter this week! Stay tuned for more updates to come and thanks for joining this crazy book writing journey with me!
